It Was a Wonderful Game
by NekomimiToree
Summary: No summary because, spoilers. This is one of the most emotional thing I have written in a while. Completed after two weeks of research and self-edits to ensure perfection. Slight PhanLumi but don't expect too much. Also, inside is an important message for writers, so check it out.


**A/N:** My second one-shot, and first short story. Starts off a lot like a multi-chapter fic, then ends rather unexpectedly. Written for readers to ponder over. Grammar might be a bit shabby (apologies for that) because I'm testing if I can write without grammar check. So far, it seems to be ok, but if you guys find anything that sounds strange, feel free to leave a review.

At the end is a note for Maplestory fanfic writers, so definitely check it out.

* * *

Ten years, Luminous answers adamantly to Grendel, the head of post-war restoration. The magic library was once a place of learning. But now men and women in lab coats walk to and fro from screen to screen, trying to make sense of the ever increasing numbers. "We need tighter security measures! Give me a line to the empress of Ereve!" cries one researcher, pointing at the glowing red bar bordering Edelstein.

"Ten years, huh," Grendel blumbles and then turns his eye to a screen. One thousand seventy-two casualties. It is very strange for him to not know the time; only ten years ago he had the celebration of a lifetime, downing the rare taste of champagne, breaking a self-imposed ban. And then the rest after that night, he spent in numerous hours at this dead-end of the forest, surrounded by ceaseless noise, awaken by others in between bursts of solitude.

Ten years is just far too much dwelling on this single affair.

Grendel clears his throat. "As you know the Black Mage have been defeated once and for all thanks to the efforts of you and your friends. Yet there are still pockets of his influence. I'm afraid to say that the crisis in Edelstein had reached level four."

_Level four?! _Luminous does not know how to react to the solemn news.

"You are the world's best and brightest and I would prefer not to ask this of you, but I want to relocate you to Edelstein so that you may study the influence in my stead," Grendel offers, rather gravely. "You can think it over knowing I will respect your silence."

Luminous exits the library knowing full well that silence is the best option. A level four is only a step from level five. The danger of going into a level four area is one thing, but if he is to go, it cannot be for futility. Overall, he cannot imagine his abilities, great and wonderful that he is, to be of any help. The situation in Edelstein is grave. No matter how good he is, there is no way...

There is no way...

The Light Mage raises his eyes to the path in front of him, seeing a certain thief that no one ever fails to recognize. He seems too preoccupied with a damsel, so Luminous, in a rush of instinct, raises his hand over his face as he walks pass.

"Lumi!" calls Phantom. Luminous quickens his motion. "Lumi! Oh, Lumi!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me 'Lumi'?" scoffs Luminous. "And can you not visit me every couple of days. I have something called a day job now."

Phantom smacks the unsuspecting Mage on the backside of his head. "You don't need a day job. Be more like me and fly around the world every now and then. That's what it means to have a purpose in life."

"Your purpose," cries Luminous, "is to live off your fame like a spoiled beggar." He pushes the thief off the beaten bath.

"Aww, Lumi! Don't be like that. You're the yin to my yang. And I'm bored. Let's play a card game. Tell me what you would discard."

He flashes five cards straight at Luminous's line of sight. "All of them. It's a dead hand."

"You're no fun," Phantom dismisses. "You know what. I bet you are secretly glad I'm here every week. If there was ever a week where I'm not here, I bet you'll go nuts looking for me." _Yeah, right._ "Oh, I just remembered. Evan wants to know about the situation in Edelstein, or more precisely, if you'll go there with him."

Evan. Luminous always bites his tongue when the boy is named. He's nothing but a shadow of the great Freud. How dare he even call himself a Dragon Master? Dragon puppy, all the more fitting. The only quality he has over Freud is that troublesome naivety. "He can go to Edelstein all he wants," Luminous snaps. "He needs to know how to make his own decisions."

Phantom is amused by his words. "Correct-o. Evan has his reasons for going and you have your reasons for not going."

The Light Mage frowns. "What are you getting at?" he scours.

"Just because our greatest enemy is dead, his influence is still very much alive. Are you the type to really sit around and do nothing?"

"What about you?" he shots.

"This is not my fight anymore. I don't have the same kind of smarts you have. I'm just going to spend my day doing whatever I can before this whole influence thing gets out of hand. As for you, you can sleep on it until that happens."

Phantom winks, then swipes a card over Luminous's eyes, and in that one second, the thief is nowhere to be seen. Luminous glowers. It is a pitiful trick, dodging behind some bush or building like he always does. Is it fun to hide behind empty words that purposely pulls on his heart strings?

_The only reason I don't want to go..._

_...is because I don't want to risk not seeing everyone again._

* * *

Being in a hazmat suit gives Luminous the feeling that he has never left Ellinia. It's not the plastic-glass visor, or the stuffy claustrophobic condition. It is the total divide between him and Edelstein. He touches, yet barely feels. He sees, but only through filtered glass. And the sounds. Forget it. The physicians and special workers have to scream just to be able to hear one another. This place, engulfed by level four, feels just like a dark, distant corner that is better off closed away.

"Emergency! Out of the way!" screams a tough, authoritative voice as he and a group bursts into the room. Four workers set the stretcher before Luminous. "We have to help her!" cries the voice, Evan's voice, nodding to his officer.

Luminous views the woman on the stretcher. Her skin is a rug of shadows, dark arteries pulses, protrudes from beneath her muscles. She spasms uncontrollably against the iron restraints bracing her arms. Her mouth is in an open scream, but how agonizing, Luminous cannot hear. A voiceless agony, he supposes. "She's at late stage two. Bring me the crystals," Luminous commands Evan. The boy looks at him dumbfounded. "I said, bring me the crystals!" Evan backs away from the scene and then runs off. "If you're going to throw up, you shouldn't have come! You bring me the crystals!" The woman rolls over the floor, and contorts into a fetal position. She swings to and fro as if opposing muscles in her body are at a tug-of-war, ripping her apart from the inside.

"Everything is going to be alright," says Luminous, holding her down. Several workers stretch her so that she is lying on her back. Raising his hand, he jabs the syringe of crystals into her chest and empties it completely.

The effect is immediate.

Her body stops contorting, and her visage of horror is replaced with a lasting calm. She looks almost peaceful. The arteries retracts. The dark spots fade away. Her lips mouths a few words, thanking him.

Luminous looks for a clock.

"Time of death. Eleven fifty-four. Wash the body. At least a thousand cycles."

They carry her away, into a forbidden room.

"No, you cannot go in there!" screams a voice from outside. _What now?_ Luminous walks out of the double doors into the discharge room and dumps his suit in the cyclic bin. These will have to be washed again. What a hassle.

"What seems to be the matter?" cries Luminous when he walks into the open. Evan holds back a young man no more than sixteen and a much older man, perhaps young man's dad.

"My wife. How is she doing?"

"I want to see my mom!"

Luminous glares at the duo and then turns to Evan. "Why was a stage two brought in?"

"They hid her from us. Uh, sir, please stay back from this line."

The man tries to rush Evan. "Please, I just want to see her! What happened to her?"

Tch. "Guards!" cries Luminous. "These two have been exposed to the influence. Quarantine them and perform a thorough check."

"What? What are you doing? Get your hands off of me! I just want to see her, dead or alive! At least let us bury her!"

"Absolutely not," Luminous declares. "The influence is strong. She is to be washed. Escort them immediately!"

The guards pull them apart, father and son, despite their struggles and send them to opposite wards.

"Why?" Evan cries. "Why did you do that to them? All they wanted was to see their family again! They hid her because they were afraid you'd crystal her!"

"They are afraid because they are ignorant. This is not just anyone's influence!" yells Luminous, suddenly raising his voice. "We live in a generation where people think it's a post-war golden age. Do you know the consequences of hiding her? What if your mistake leads to an even worse outbreak? If you had caught her sooner, we might not have to redirect our efforts, Evan."

"So," he screams. "It took me a long time to convince them that what we're doing is helping her! And then you just...you killed her! That's what you did!"

_Oh, what a child._ "Would you say those same words if the influence were in Ellinia? Or Henesys? Or even your ranch? This is level four, Evan. Think about what happens at level five."

Evan opens his mouth, but no words come out. It is as if a great voice of compassion is silenced. The still young man stomps into the research lab. He thinks he'll find a cure, and despite the misgivings, Luminous hopes for the best.

A worker then walks up to Luminous. "The new intern is here, sir," he says.

"Good. Tell her to join me at the stage two collective unit. It's about time."

"Yes sir."

Luminous gears up again in a newly washed suit before entering the room.

It is a sight to be behold to be believed.

Lining from wall to wall, bed to bed, are nearly fifty influenced citizens, all with dark spots littering their skin. They convulse as a random mass like the stuttering machines of a steel factory, the rattle of interlocked chains. A volley, a chorus of shouts and screeches; the air thick with a dark, almost imaginary miasma; entrapped in the windowless chamber lighted by fluorescent tubes. Most of them are so far into stage two that even the white of their eyes are black, even their veins bulge out, leaving only a plump hideous mass of a person.

_I truly wish for the best from you, Evan. At least succeed before this gets too out of hand._

"How many?" Luminous screams from inside the suit.

"Thirty- four!"

"Crystal! Wash! A thousand cycles! All of them! Then move in the batch from the stage one unit!"

Someone drops a clipboard.

She has short, innocent hair and she could barely listen to the words he had just said.

* * *

"Welcome to the lab," Luminous says. When he sits on his side of the table, Evan scoots over his supplies so that there is a relative distance between them. "And this is Evan."

"Another Hero!" cries the new intern. "Oh my god, it's so exciting to meet you! I'm Garnet, um, just like my irises. It's so unoriginal. It's silly. My parents named all of my siblings after their eye or hair color. It's so weird. Um..." She shrinks her head back. "Please don't think I'm weird!"

"He's too preoccupied to think. Ignore each other. As a matter of fact, this desk is now yours," he tells the assistant. "And this," he points to a waterless fish tank. Specimens of deep, dark slugs crawls about, seeking a way out of the lighted, impenetrable glass. The stiffness of it is just far too much for these dark beings to bend. "These are the influences. Don't feed them, don't touch them."

One the the blobs falls off the from tank's ceiling and its lips contorts in a frown. "Eh. So that's how they look like?" asks the assistant. "Cool! What happens if I touch them?" She taps the tank, at one of the slugs, and this eyeless being opens its mouth and smacks the rows of incisors against the glass.

"We quarantine you." _At least she's enthusiastic about the job,_ Luminous sighs.

"You know," Garnet remarks. "Weren't you the first influence case? And you were completely cured, right? How did you do that?"

"My methods are not methods at all. I was simply able to apply equilibrium," Luminous lectures, still a bit sensitive over the events of his past. "I was a being of light in the first place, so controlling the darkness is possible. This is simply not true for most everyone. Also I never cured anything. It simply went away after a while. The darkness just gave up."

"Gave up? That's a pretty human thing to say," she remarks again, wonder written all over her face. "But these don't look or feel human at all." She taps a blob with rabbit teeth at the front and as the vibrations echoes across the chamber, they all scramble for her finger.

"They are very much alive," he describes. "We have always relied on the light to vanquish the dark, but recently..." He puts his hand over the tank and explodes a ball of light inside. The slugs immediately shrink into a fetal position, forming segmented spheres half their size. "...they've evolved a defensive form. The amount of washing needed to completely eradicate them is unfeasible for the human body to handle."

"Wait. I should jot this down! Uh, uh!" She picks up the nearest pen and paper. "Can you repeat that just now?"

Luminous simply points at the notes on the table.

...

"What did you call me here for?" asks Luminous, loosening and tossing his scarf at a nearby lab table. Winter has set in after a three month effort. Things have been much the same as before, meaning the level four is still in place. That's actually a blessing, practically Maplemas in Novermber.

Garnet literally jumps off her seat while Evan only stares intently at Luminous. She's too_ enthusiastic at times. _"I think we found it!" Garnet cries. "A cure!"

"You have!" Luminous yells, barely able to handle the good news. "How? Where? Show me!"

"It's not exactly a vaccine, but a surgical procedure. I think it's worth a shot. If we stimulate the influences with simple Light magic, we can turn them into a polyp. These can, then, be surgically removed." Luminous is about to refute this common knowledge when Garnet gives him a smile and a wink. "I know what you are thinking but!~ Watch." She flirtatiously raises one finger and taps it against the tank. At first only the nearest slug bare its fangs for her savory finger, but the others follow. They snarl for that one spot where the echoes are coming from.

It is almost magical.

They pool over to that one side, that one location.

"You mean we're going to lure them to a single place?" Luminous wrestles the report from Garnet's hands and pools over the charts and details. He would have to examine the full report but this...could actually work. "How many surgeries required?"

"One for stage one, two for stage two. The Light magic side-effects can be counteracted with some red or white potions."

It's perfect... It's the cure he has been waiting for.

Yet.

"Who will supply the lure and the magic?" Luminous asks.

"Well..." Her words catch in her tongue.

Evan answers for her. He says, "An endoscopic microphone can be inserted to provide the noise. But the magic cannot be substituted. It requires hands-on Light Mages."

_Hands-on._ "And that means who, exactly? Are you suggesting we put at risk our own people just to perform this surgery? This is flawed! You dare not think over your analysis and conclusions before presenting this!"

"We did, Luminous! We did," he repeats. "There is someone who can supply the Light magic with zero risk."

"Really? Who?"

"You. You conquered the darkness. If you are the one to do it, the surgery would surely succeed!"

"Funny! You are overestimating me for once, child. I am _the_ Light Mage. The world cannot afford to lose a specimen like me. And I conquered nothing! Relapses, diminished responses. If you are wrong about this, none of us here can carry the consequence."

"You had no relapse for ten years, Luminous. You're just scared. Scared of the Black Mage. You didn't come here to save anyone at all. All you do is crystal this, crystal that! I had it! I can't believe Grendel believed in you!"

"I will have you disbarred from all magic research unless you write me a letter of apology. This is level four, not some child's game."

"I'd sooner quit than apologize to you!"

Garnet jumps in between them, pushing them back with her hands on their chests. "Guys, please don't fight! We didn't come here to fight!" She turns to Evan. "He's right. There are still problems that need to be addressed. We'll think of something else." Then Luminous. "It's my fault for being too excited. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't apologize for what you believe in," Evan declares, then stomps off to the outside. He needs inspiration. He needs hope.

Luminous follows, returning to the collective wards.

Alone, Garnet slumps in her chair and plays with the slugs. Tap. Tap. They really like the beat, don't they? _The world cannot afford to lose a specimen like me._ Is that really what you think? Tap. Tap.

She closes her eyes and imagines the song of Ellinia. Memories of friendships; lost opportunities; jumping from tree to tree. First love. First break-up. Sigh. Back to work, I guess.

The first thing she sees, at the part of the table right above the books and journals, is a picture frame. It is placed in such a way so that anyone can see it upon looking up. And it hits the heart like the notes of the song of Ellinia. There are six figures in the photo, smiling at the camera. Oh, and Evan, a cut-off tacked in the corner, right next to Luminous, right above Freud. _The world, I cannot afford to lose the world,_ is what he meant to say.

Right?

* * *

Raise the cycles. Tap louder. We're almost there.

Hang in there!

* * *

Luminous washes his hands with water for the fifth time before entering the intensive care unit. He is visiting the first resident of this particular room, an Edelstein girl no more than fifteen. "How are you doing?" he asks, a pencil at the ready to note any side-effects.

"You're the doctor, right?"

"Researcher. Light Mage." _This girl doesn't know the Heroes? Am I growing that old already?_

"I...I heard your voice when I was sleeping. You were holding my hand, weren't you."

"So how do you feel?"

"Um...a bit flustered really..."

"Flustered? Does your forehead feel warm? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Well. My heart."

"That's a bad sign."

"Yeah, I..." she shies her head away. "I've never held hands with a boy before."

_The subject seems to be flustered about holding my hand. Gloves might be more feasible in future surgeries. Note: request cardiac exam_. "Anything else?" he asks, almost laughing at himself. He looks at the window, at the shade of clouds covering the big, yellow sun, and for the first time since arriving here, it feels like Edelstein. He can touch them, the citizens. He can hear their voices, mellow and soft. He can see the beauty through filtered air. _Edelstein, _he sees a clocktower in the distance, _is truly a beautiful corner of the world._

"Luminous!" calls a voice, the voice of an annoying intern. He knows what it's about, and there's little time to waste. He follows Garnet into the surgical room.

"I'm here," he says, removing his lab coat to dress up for the next surgery. A team of doctors and nurses follows him and Garnet to the next patient.

Before starting the procedure, Luminous recounts of the number of times he performed this. Fifteen so far, all stage ones. It's still in the pilot period, and the progress of him alone is rather pitiful against the influence's spread. But perhaps not. People, including Evan of all, are starting to believe in them, in him. Belief. It's the same thing that defeated the Black Mage. It will rid of him once and for all.

"Begin the surgery."

The crew looks at Luminous who slowly takes off his protective gloves. He can feel the darkness connecting to him through the air. His hands feels like bricks, impossible to move, impossible to move. But he's already exposed so he stares straight into Garnet's fiery eyes and finds the will to touch the patient's darkened hands. It is a lot like putting one's arm into a crevice of spiders.

But her fiery eyes, as deep as the depths of an ocean, cuts into his chest a longing so passionate, it is inescapable. Time seems to dance about him, swaying in crooked steps, going off from the supposed path.

Tap. Tap.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"I know this sounds a bit late, but I'm wondering if you have any family members," Garnet tests as she pens the latest report. Luminous chops the onions in lattices then readies the tomatoes. A pot of carrots, the lively steam warm in the ice cold research facility, boils above a cooking roast. The world is very still at this moment, almost as timeless as the quiet river cutting through a stillborn flowerbed. This almost feels normal, like something he should never have.

"Family? No, I live alone most of the time. Sometimes I let Phantom rent out the house," Luminous answers. Garnet stops her scribbling. So, he's not married? Well, obviously, Captain Obvious.

She looks at the doodle at the space above her research notes, finding two stick figures holding hands. Oh, no! Scratch, scratch, scratch! "How about your friends? Do you like going out a lot with the special people in your life?"

"No, no. They've moved on to different aspirations at this point and I don't think they want much to do with me still." He laughs. "Other than Phantom."

Oh. Is he the angst type? Oh, duh, of course! He was fighting his dark side for years. But he hasn't moved on yet? No...

She looks at the photo.

He has something important to protect. I wonder if I'll ever be that to someone.

"Hey, Luminous,"

"You can call me Lumi."

She blushes. A nickname! I get to call him a nickname! "So um... Lumi!"

"Ow!"

"Luminous!"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," he calls just when Garnet is getting up. His back is to her but she can still see the line of blood at the side of his finger. He patches it with a used cloth.

Oh phooey. Look what you did, Garnet. Stop distracting him!

She decides to drop the conversation and refocus on her task. Studies and research and experiments. Papers, papers, papers. She enjoys imagining her writings to be in the middle of a breakthrough, groundbreaking work that will finally get her the credentials she covets. Yeah, one day she'll publish a work that will save the world. On it will be the names Garnet, Luminous, and Evan.

She smiles.

The slugs squirms in the background.

"So what did you wanted to tell me?" asks Luminous, balancing the pot roast with both hands.

She spins around.

And screams.

* * *

Stage one quarantine unit.

Luminous has been in this place so many times, he thought he would be used to it. But being here is like being in another, closed-off world where nothing hopeful can grow. He barely recognizes this place, this windowless room, his new home...?

"Oh would you look at that," one of the patients says. "It's the Mage of Death having an off day!" He points at Luminous, and the group around him laughs. "You finally got what's coming to you, eh?"

Finally, Luminous finds the bed with a handwritten name tag. He recognizes the wide arches of the L and the tightness of the U's to be from Garnet's hand. "Here it is, sir," says the guard, laying down Luminous's items.

"Don't call me that anymore," is his only response. He picks the photo out of the pile and fixes it by his bedside.

In this sealed room, he passes his days with little variation. He enjoys lying in the bed, only stretching when he needs to. He cannot talk to anyone because of the words they let him hear. Yet, he pays no attention to them. It is not that they are ignorant. They will move, eventually. One by one into stage two. And new ones come in, citizens that to Luminous is just a single conglomeration.

In and out. Pass and go.

This is the sharp structure of stage one.

Only two people ever visits him.

Evan comes sporadically, and always with a tired look. He stopped shaving after a certain span of time. He sleeps no more than four hours a day now. And whenever he visits, Luminous cannot bring himself to chase away the...the _boy_. He has such a sad look about him all the time, as if he hasn't learned anything about acceptance, fate, destiny. Impossibility. Eventual. Arriving.

Going.

Ending.

_Ending_.

And the other visitor, Garnet, she always bring with her a rainbow of fruits, freshly washed towels, and bittermelon stew. "I heard they're good at cleaning out all the bad stuff in your body. It tastes a bit funny, so I also brought fresh fruits to go with it. Plums and blueberries and kumquats." These daily gifts, Luminous takes without a word. Being sicken on a bed, and under the care of a female guardian. There's sometime pitiful about it, but he loves this little dose of happy energy.

They did not talk much until his second week.

He only says one sentence.

"I don't want to go to stage two."

And when he says that, it wasn't to her at all. His eyes are fixated on the photo of his...

His...

...family.

"Don't worry about a thing. You'll make it home, no problem. Evan always tell me he is working on a cure," chirps Garnet.

And then she runs off, out the reinforced doors and into the changing unit. And there, she dirties the contamination suit with her sadness.

...

_It has been approved. Grendel has to wrestle for it, but you're going home, Lumi._

He can hardly believe it. Home. Ellinia.

"I'm...I'm going home," he says out of the blue, his vision on the darkening clouds drifting by his airship.

Garnet finishes peeling the orange, as difficult as it is while wearing gloves. "You make it sound like it's such a bad thing," says Garnet, putting the juicy fruit into his mouth. "We have so many good researchers in Ellinia. The air is fresh. And the supplies are plenty. We'll make sure the best of the best is taking care of you." Immediately, Luminous imagines a time when the people of the world would refer to him as that. Best of the best. The Light Mage.

"How has your research been going? Are you going to publish it?" Luminous asks.

Garnet shyly averts her eyes. "I don't think I'll publish it anymore." Her eyes betray disappointment, so Luminous reaches for her face only to touch the glass of her helm. She backs away a bit. "I haven't worked on it for a long time and my internship grant has expired."

"They give grants to interns?"

"Yeah. You can't believe how times have changed nowadays..." The sounds drift into space for the rest of the trip.

When the airship lands, they escort him on a mobile bed. The first thing Luminous spots are steel railings holding back a rally of people. They hold up signs and yell something inaudible from his distance. He wants to see what the fuss is about, but the guards and Garnet blocks his view. He can only see the path ahead, straight into the care facility. "They're just excited that the famous Hero is back," explains Garnet.

Just before disappearing from view, Luminous catches a glimpse of one of the signs.

...

"Yawn, yawn, yawn," says Phantom, thumbing through the magazines. "This is the kind of reading material they provide? There's nothing sexy in here at all!" he complains, the echo in his suit making his voice at least ten times more unbearable.

"No one told you to be here," Luminous retorts.

"But everyone said they visited you already, so I have to be here. Besides, I missed you while you were gone. I smell you in your showers, and feel you beneath your bedsheets, but other than that, well, you're never around anymore."

"That's not exactly my fault."

"Yeah, yeah. It sucks being without a home. Anyways, I'm heading back to the apartment. Is there anything you'd like me to bring?"

Luminous thinks it over. "A laptop."

And Phantom purchases the most state of the art laptop known, because he is Phantom, and the requester is his best friend.

"Try not to open a can of worms," warns Phantom, reluctantly giving Luminous the laptop. Right as he is about to exit, he asks, "Oh, are you at stage two yet?"

"No. It's slow, but I'll get there."

"Alright."

Luminous starts the machine immediately but pauses at the search box. Then, taking a deep breath, he types in "Luminous, influence, Edelstein."

* * *

"Who the hell made this dumb decision? They just want us all to die."

"I can't believe they just allowed the INFLUENCE which has ZERO CURE to come back HERE! This is OUR island! We have the right to keep him out! This is STUPID!"

"Stupidity and selfishness trumps over common sense. To the researcher: you chose to go to some corner of the world to fight the influence. Now you expect us to save you? You're no different than those arrogant cowards from El Nath."

"Blow up that airship. No really. They are sending back something that is clearly a danger to our people. We wouldn't let the Black Wings go anywhere near Victoria Island, so why now? I say make that senile fool, Grendel, retire."

"Do you seriously think you are a hero? You are endangering hundreds of thousands of lives! He knew the risks involved but he went there anyway. It's his fault for putting his nose in that no-good place. Just bring two pirates there and shoot him down. Leave his body to rot in a shallow grave. No one will feel sorry for that selfish bastard."

"There is a cure. One arrow through his brain."

"My heart goes out to the Hero who was infected, but really? This thing have been going on for so long and has brought grief to so many people. I'm reading all these comments and they all agree this is irresponsible. Please stop pretending that this influence can be contained. Stop this madness and send him back."

"I used to respect what he did for us but not any more. If he really was such a great person, he would have refused to come back even if they forced him. This is unacceptable. All it takes is one person not doing their job correctly for the influence to spread. We don't even know much about it! This is the Black Mage, the man who almost ended the world. The worse thing is that if he wasn't some Hero, they wouldn't have given him special treatment. Anyone else would be left to die."

* * *

Even at Ellinia he cannot be anyone else but a bed-stricken patient. The air conditioner is kept working at all times to keep feverish patients from getting too warm. When his old friends visits, it is through the wide, glassy window that separates his room from the neighboring room. They always tear at the sight of him, of his sunken cheeks despite the daily meals. And he cannot bear the sight of their bodies pressing against the glass, so he limits the eye contact. When they try to talk, he only responds with weak, undecipherable gestures.

It feels a lot like being in a morgue.

The only one who ever touches him is his former intern. It is always the same, day after day: bittermelon soup, baskets of fruits, and towels. Beside the more personal rooming arrangements, nothing has changed at all. They are still having one-sided conversations with one another. She still brings to his lips the precious drops of bitterness, and spill a sliver down his chin every other spoonful. She still brushes away the wetness with her rubber gloves, and try her best to peel fruits that needs peeling.

It is very easy to wish for everyday to be the same day.

But the influence is not so kind. Even a Hero who had destroyed the Black Mage and saved the world from its tipping point must succumb to his remnants. Just yesterday, Garnet placed the syringe of crystal behind the glass seal above the bed. Once late stage two sets in, anyone can inject the syringe within five seconds.

"Sorry, I spilled it again," she says. "Is it too bitter? Should I add some cane sugar?"

He mouths a few words, the first words in ages. But Garnet cannot hear through her suit, so she leans closer.

Then, he lobs the bowl of soup at her helm and pushes her into the floor. "Get out!" he screams, his voice like a frail child's. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"What's wrong, Lumi."

"Don't call me Lumi! Only one person has the right to call me that! Go away!"

She does not know what to do but to watch him continuously yell at her.

...

When Garnet visits Luminous again the next day, she sees a rallying mob at the hospital's entrance. They carry huge signs with burning letters calling for Luminous's exile. "He is a danger to us all!" screams the leader into a megaphone. She does not know how they can be so persistent, but she will not stand for this. She is about to step up to the mob when Phantom calls out her name. "Garnet!" Surprised, she redirect her attention to the voice's source.

"You know who I am?" she asks, bewildered that a celebrity knows her by name. He steps close to Garnet so that they can talk to one another eye to eye.

"I like to keep tabs on anyone close to Luminous. You know, to stay updated on his relationship status. But that's besides the point. I want us to talk for a bit. Get to know one another." He gives her a wink that brings a slight nervousness to Garnet's speech.

"I'm actually running late. I have to get to Lumi, um, Luminous."

"About that. He said he does not want any visitors today. Well, other than me, because I'm special."

She does not know how to respond. She only drops her shoulders as if on the verge of falling into despair. Phantom puts his hand over hers and whisks her to the bench next to a plot of windblown dandelions and petunias.

"He told me what he did yesterday," says Phantom. "And he knows you are mad at him, well." He catches a glimpse of Garnet, then brings out a pack of tissues. "He thinks he knows women."

"Thank you, but I'm fine."

"My pleasure. But, listen Garnet, Luminous regrets what he said, he really does. But he is not an apologetic person. Even during our adventures, he never once apologized for his actions, but we learned not to mind. He knows a million ways to say sorry by not saying sorry. I'm telling you this because, you are very special to Luminous and it would be a shame if you stopped visiting him. Well," he sees the soup, towels and fruits, "he doesn't understand women at all."

"I know that already, Mr. Phantom. But I don't know what I can do to help him," she says, wiping her tears. "Even Evan cannot find a perfect cure, and I'm disbarred from any more research. I want to help him, but not like this, with this soup, and...and these towels!" She raises the items as if about to throw them, then takes it back because Lumi is expecting them. "This can't help him at all! I feel like I'm cheating him! I...I...!"

"It's ok, Garnet. He knows nothing can save him. But he isn't prepared to see everything he loves go away."

And she buries her head into his shoulder.

...

It takes another five days before Garnet can bring up the courage to visit Lumi once more. She doesn't bring the bittermelon, or the fruits, or the towels. She brings herself and a giant "get well soon" card signed by everyone in Luminous's life. It is large enough to hang on the wall so that Luminous only needs to look to his left to see the bright, large word. Luminous.

"Hey, Luminous," she greets, then glances away. "We all made a poster for you! Do you like it?" He examines the two-by-four, looking at the small anime-esque doodles centering his name. She did not leave out a single one of them; everyone he loves are represented on the poster.

And the only thing he manages to say is a simple, "I'm sorry for the other day," in a heavy, rasping voice. "I'm sorry that this is the only thing I could do for you."

"There's no need to say anything," she articulates. "You are the Hero that saved the world more than once. If anything, the world should say sorry to you."

He is slow in his response. "You mean the rallies right outside the hospital?"

"It's only a small, uneducated group," she dismisses. "The police will disband them eventually and Grendel will sort everything out. Just, don't worry about it."

Luminous glances at her to ascertain her truthfulness, then asks, "Look at me and tell me how dark my skin is?" She peeks at his arms, at the cuffs which bounds him to the rails. His skin is black as darkness, and the branching veins are just about to burst open. "Do you think it is time for me to admit my sins to the Goddess?"

"You don't have to admit..."

"I only brought grief to everything I've ever touched."

"What are you saying...?

"Can you peel me an orange? I want to taste something sweet before I go."

Garnet scrunches her eyebrows. "Only if you will stop saying such things. What's the matter with you today?" She picks the plumpest one from the pile.

"I need to tell you my reason for going to Edelstein. Everyone seems to think I was there because I wanted to be a Hero." He sinks his head onto the pillow, as if a quicksand will take him into the bowels of the earth. "The truth is I only went because Evan did. I know I am unable bear the pain of leaving behind someone whom I care for."

"That's wonderful," Garnet says, wondering if her place is as important in his heart.

"I was no Hero, Garnet. When I injected those crystals, I did it to prevent the influence from spreading. I never once cared for them as people." He talks with such headstrong clarity as if those words are an absolute truth. "I had a thought once: if I could crystal everyone with the influence, then I could keep Victoria Island safe. That's why I hunted them. That's wh... AHH!"

"Lumi!" She leans right above him and sees the minute vessels in his eyes burst into droplets of black and red.

His mouth quivers with fear and he screams, "There is nothing for me anymore!" And he raises his head and opens his mouth as if he can somehow grab the syringe above his head.

"No...no! Evan will find a cure!" she yells, louder than she has ever yelled before, hoping that her voice will carry a miracle.

"They were right! All of them! I deserved to die! I should have never came back! Argh!"

"No one deserves to die, Lumi! You're a Hero. You're..." He bites down on her finger with so much force that she has to push against his head to regain control of her hand. "I won't let you die."

It takes a minute for him to stop his struggles and cry tears tainted with grey. "I did this to myself. This is my punishment for being just as selfish as the Black Mage. When I injected those crystals, I only felt relief. Relief. I...I...AHH!" The veins on his face bulges out. "It hurts! IT HURTS TO FEEL THE LIGHT DISAPPEARING! AHH!" He lets out a shrill cry, and tries to control his pain, and in between his short breaths, he begs, begs her to, "KILL ME!" He batters his head against his pillow as the spasms starts. "DO YOU WANT TO WATCH ME IN SO MUCH PAIN?" His arms scrape against his restraints until blood is drawn.

"I can't," she says, unable to look at the monstrous sight any longer. "I won't!" She steps back as the seizures worsens. His chest swells as more vessels bursts into a pool of darkness. "I'll call a doctor," she says, averting her eyes. "Wait right here! I'll get a doctor!"

As she exits, she dares not give him a last glimpse or she too might want to die.

...

When Garnet goes through the double doors, to the outside, the rally is still on-going, oblivious to the last ten minutes. They collectively chant, "Put him down! Put him down!" and raise signs with large, red letters. She tries to ignore their words as she passes the crowd.

"Crystal him before it is too late!" "No more ignorance!" "This man is a murderer!" "He is a selfish bastard!"

"He is not a selfish!" she screams, unable to bear it any longer. She comes face to face with the rally, and silences them with only her presence. "You can call him anything you want, but not selfish! He did all this, all THIS for you! What happened to your compassion for others! He was a Hero who defeated the Black Mage and he is still trying! And all he ever wanted was for the things he loved to be safe! How can you call that selfish! He...HE..."

The shot comes from somewhere in the back. She cannot remember how many are fired. At least two, maybe? Before long, she cannot think any longer, and collapses into the hard earth. Her eyes are a deep dark red, her skin is lined with dots of inky dark. And right before the lights close, she can hear, very faintly, the sounds of cheering.

* * *

"Me and my big mouth! I can't believe I have to do my report on the Influence Outbreak. It's not even history yet, but I have to do a history report! How am I supposed to find out more if the news barely even talks about it?" She walks through the memorial of those who died battling the Black Mage. From above, the great orb in the sky sends glowing rays over these polished, black granite walls. She is too young to recognize the names of the Heroes she passes.

That is why, when she sees a homeless man sitting at the new memorial stone, she curiously walks up to him. "Hey there, kid," says the homeless man. "Are you here to check out the names of those who sacrificed themselves during the Outbreak?"

"Huh? Do you know about it? Can you tell me how it began? Did it really have to do with the Black Mage?"

"I only know what my friend has told me. He was actually one of the researchers during the outbreak. Ah yes, if I were to put it as a card game," starts the man, "it was a high risk round. My friend knew that he must bet it all if he wanted to win. But on that last round, a dead hand was dealt."

"Dead hand?"

"When the cards are so disorganized that you are forced to discard four cards just to save it. Of course, he had an Ace in hand, so most people would go for a pair of Aces and a King at the very least. But this is an all-in round, and a pair is still just a pair. He discarded all five cards for a fresh hand. And what a hand it was. The first two cards were Aces, and the third was a King. Can you guess what the other two cards were?"

"Um..."

"A seven and a five."

The girl leans forward and finds nostalgic tears dripping down his cheek, onto the hot earth. "Why are you...?"

"It was a wonderful game played in the cruelest world."

* * *

**A/N:** That very last scene was a reference to an obscure manga no one reads (that I know of). Kudos if you know where it is from. And now, onto the message.

Ok, FF writers! I have been on this site for a number of years now and it has always been my wish to form a cohesive community of writers, the purpose of which is to share ideas and act as critics for one another. The reason why I am putting this forward is because there are so many writers who get writer's block and eventually leave the site. That's actually a bit upsetting (I'm looking at you x-SystemRestore, Manaxsavior, WildOrion). As a result, I think a community gives writers a comfortable place to discuss their stories so they won't feel nervous when posting something new. This allows writers to improve their overall writing quality and encourage more creativity.

That said, I am prepared to spearhead a Maplestory-exclusive community of writers. If you are interested, PM me. Anyone is welcome; you do not have to consider yourself as an experienced writer to join. If I get at least five writers to respond by the end of the week, I will form the community and invite others to join. Live long and prosper, FF writers!


End file.
